Key Facts
Background
Seneca Scott earned his B.S. from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He has worked as a labor leader and community organizer for over 20 years. He co-founded and runs Bottom’s Up Community Gardens and Oakhella, and founded the grassroots Neighbors Together Movement. Scott previously worked as the East Bay Director for SEIU Local 1021 and as a Union consultant negotiating contracts for Bay Area public sector employees [2].
Last October, Scott was arrested for pulling a gun on two people allegedly attempting to steal a water heater from his community garden [8]. He has also faced criticism after posing with a transphobic activist while wearing sandwhich boards bearing transphobic messages and seeminly posting messages in support of a fellow mayoral candidate’s antisemitic comments [9].
Key Issues
Law Enforcement
Scott wants to increase the size of the Oakland Police Department to 900 officers in his first term and increase department funding [2].
Poverty
Scott wants to ensure that California does not criminalize poverty through traffic stops for violations that should only require “fix-it-tickets” [2].
Infrastructure
Scott wants to repair Oakland streets by filling potholes and cracks. He also wants to institute a zero-tolerance policy with vehicle forfeiture and stiff fines for illegal dumpers and ensure the immediate removal of abandoned vehicles. He supports decreasing dump fees and increasing awareness about free bulk pickup [2]
Public Safety
Scott wants to improve walkability and bikeability in Oakland and increase enforcement of reckless driving and traffic violence laws. He supports the use of license plate readers by law enforcement [5].
Homelessness
Scott wants to wraparound services to homeless individuals struggling with substance abuse and mental illness. He wants to enforce Oakland’s Encampment Management Policy to remove encampments posing health and safety risks [2]. He supports the Care Court law, which can compel individuals with untreated severe mental illness into housing and treatment [5].
Housing
Scott wants to increase all-types of housing construction and establish a pre-approval process for constructing Accessory Dwelling Units [5].
Legislation
Scott wants to lead a Charter Amendent that would give the Mayor the ability to veto legislation and carry out more executive functions of government, including the hiring and firing of department heads [2].
Environment
Scott wants to lead the creation of a Department of Agriculture in Oakland dedicated to increasing agricultural capacity and promoting sustainable growing of food and medicinal plants [2]. He sees community agriculture as a partial solution to inflation and supply chain issues [7].
Budget
Scott wants to create an independent office of the controller to handle Oakland’s budget and wants to increase funding for the City Auditor [5].
Education
Scott wants to improve the nutritional quality of school lunches and increase teacher wages.
Endorsements
No Endorsements could be found.
Sources
1 Ballotpedia
2 Official Website
3 LinkedIn
4 Twitter
5 The Oaklandside
6 abc7
7 KTVU – 2/14/22
8 KTVU – 9/13/22
9 The Oaklandside